


the trouble

by sassastrophe (regulardudetier)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: :(, M/M, Unrequited Love, sorry - Freeform, this is kinda sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-26
Updated: 2012-09-26
Packaged: 2017-11-15 03:06:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/522459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regulardudetier/pseuds/sassastrophe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span class="small">based on that gifset and i am always in an angsty mood. louis decides as the oldest it is his duty to help out a friend. wow this is kind of dumb sorry :(</span>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	the trouble

Zayn's the first in the dressing room at the London arena they're meant to be playing in a few hours. He's an hour early for soundcheck, meant to use this time in quiet away from screaming fans and paps and sometimes even the other boys (he believes they all need their time away). 

He's plugged into his ipod so he doesn't hear the footsteps from behind but he jumps, nearly knocking the device out of his hand, when someone touches his shoulder, and-

"Lou! You're early, too?"

"Does he know?"

Louis has sort of a surly look about him, like he's just jumped out of the shower or maybe just a sink wash after jumping out of bed. He's still scruffy, looks a bit dead in the face, but that'll all be fixed with the makeup crew. The one thing that surprises Zayn more than anything is how _unhappy_ Louis looks. 

"Er, does who know what?"

"Does Liam know you, you know, love him and stuff?" 

_Oh._

"Erm, I don't think so. I think," and Zayn starts laughing to cover up his nerves because he'd be lying if he said he enjoyed talking about this particular subject with anyone, "I think he thinks it's a joke if anything. You know how Li is. Oblivious and all that."

"Right."

Zayn goes quiet, standing and turning his back on Louis, heading to his own little designated area of the dressing room. There's always little candies sitting on the table along with the makeup boxes and cards from fans and there's a photo of the boys taped to the mirror and a photo of he and Perrie and a photo of he and Liam and he's smiling, though it's not a true smile.

"Are you ever going to actually tell him? You can't keep staring at him in interviews or making those indirect comments."

"I've considered, yea. But then, like, you think about how happy he is right now-" fumbling with the wrapper on one of the candies "-with Danielle and stuff and how perfect their relationship is and I can't ruin that. I can't do that to him, you know, like, steal him away from his happiness so I can be happy and stuff."

And when Louis doesn't answer him, he continues. 

"I think, if anything, I'm happy to have Liam as a friend. He's my best mate, yeah. I mean, fuck. Don't look at me like that, Lou."

He's laughing but it's kind of fake. It's always fake. And Louis is frowning. "I know you want him to be happy but don't pull that bullshit of 'Oh if he's happy I'm happy' you of all people know how crap that is."

"But it's-"

"He's constantly worrying about you, too. 'Zayn's been smoking more, hasn't he boys?' or 'Does he eat much? He's looking skinnier and skinnier' but I think the worst was the one time he brought up the fact that you are never happy with he brings Dani around. I don't think Liam is as oblivious as you think."

He startles Louis, then, by turning to the mirror and slamming a fist on the table. Not hard, but enough to make a good sound that echoes throughout the dressing room. "I'm not going to ruin something he's wanted so much. I'm not going to be that guy, Lou. I'm not gonna be the one who takes something away from Danielle and I'm not gonna be the one who takes something away from Liam. Yeah, okay, I really like Liam. He's such a great guy. I think he's an amazing person and sometimes I wish maybe I could just have him be _mine_ and no one else's but then I remember that that's not how life likes to work. I have Perrie, he has Danielle, we have the band, and that's all that matters. So..."

"So run away from your feelings, then." Louis' eyes close, a disappointing smile erupts on his face and he's shaking his head. "I understand where you're coming from, believe me, but if this is how you really feel then you need to stop just telling other people this because honestly mate, I think you're the only one who refuses to accept it."

When Zayn goes to face his older friend, he finds the dressing room once again empty; nothing ever showing of Louis having even been there. But later during soundcheck, it's the oldest member of the band who keeps eyeing him throughout each set. So once they finish with Live While We're Young, given a break before the encore, Zayn corners Liam in an empty dressing room. 

"Erm, I-"

"I like you, yeah? I like you, like you. Like. Shit." He's fighting back any sort of tears because it's not really his thing to cry about this but it's more that he's just _nervous as fuck_ and he can't get the words to play out the way he wants them to. 

"That's, um. That's great, Zayn. I, uh. I like you too? We've, uh. We've got to-"

"Please don't do that to me, Li."

So quiet, a tissue could drop and the world would hear it.

"You know what I want to say, Zayn, but I don't think you want to hear it. I'm sorry, mate. You're a great guy, I love you so much and you're my best friend in the world, you're like a brother to me. I'm happy to know you, happy to have you be around me so much, but you know where I stand. Hurry up, we've got to finish up soundcheck."

He rushes his words, grabbing his headset from the wall and leaving Zayn ghosted in the empty room. Laughing. His phone buzzes, and he guesses maybe it's the other's telling him to get back on stage and he's only half right because it is Louis.

_what did you say???_

He sighs, tapping out his message with shaky fingers.

_told him, guess u can see how he took it_

The reply comes almost instantly.

_sorry mate :( xx lets finish up and then we can go find a stash of chocolate before the show yeah?_

_yea x_


End file.
